You heard it right, Startups of The Year (SOTY) is back for its 3rd season! SOTY is a community-driven event created and powered by HackerNoon’s proprietary software, dedicated to recognizing and celebrating tech startups that are making a positive impact on technology and the world. Closing on Startups of The Year 2023, we have achieved a total of 623K+ votes (triple from the prior year) from the community to 30,000+ startups across 4200+ cities ✨🙌

This year we set out to shine the Spotlight on Tech’s Shining Stars (yes, all 150,000 of them 🤭) Coming on to the podium, have you prepared a speech? If not, let this article be your guide to 2024’s Startups of The Year 🚀

Let’s take a trip down memory lane, while also learning from how last year’s nominees flaunted the news of their nominations 🔎

FYI, with Startups of The Year 2024, we're introducing industry awards, categorizing startups by sector. You can find more info here.

My Startups Got Nominated. What Should I Do?

The FIRST thing that you’re going to do… well after you claim and verify your company, you PROMOTE the heck out of your Startup 💚 Here’s how 2023 Startups did it…

Oh and don’t forget to tag HackerNoon, we’d love to support your company to the top 1️⃣ - get featured on our testimonials site and social media!

PRO TIP: Content is your best friend! Utilize social media strengths to spread the word about your Startups of The Year nomination! Facebook, LinkedIn, X… the more the merrier. You have bragging rights, so post on EVERY social platform possible🔥

Here’s How 2023 Startups Did It, On LinkedIn

Whether it is a simple call for voting with the Startups of The Year’s key visual or having the Founder/CEO post on their personal page for increased reach, let your creativity run wild: repost, run a campaign, write an article on HackerNoon, and blast it everywhere! Be vocal and be proud - your startup DESERVES all the recognition!

Remember to follow up! You know that one call for voting post isn’t enough - Divide to conquer! Remind your followers that you are still running for the title. Create a sense of urgency and competition like these startups did in 2023 ⬇️

See more on how nominated Startups called for voting in 2023 on LinkedIn here

What About Facebook?

You bet! Aside from LinkedIn, Facebook is also a good platform to announce your Startups of The Year nomination.

See more on how nominated Startups called for voting in 2023 on Facebook here

And Don’t Forget To Tweet About Your Nomination

I know we all have *diverse* opinions on X (Twitter). Regardless, tweeting is still a good way to brag about your Startups of The Year nomination and call for voting.

See more on how nominated Startups called for voting in 2023 on X here

I’m sad…my Startup wasn’t nominated… 😔

You have two options:

1. You can either nominate yourself… (it's completely legitimate - see the criteria here)

2. Or, let your community surprise you with a nomination and revel in the unexpected recognition!

   Wojciech Sierocki, co-founder and CEO of Data Lake was taken by surprise too when their startup, Data Lake, got nominated for Startups of The Year 2023.

Still have questions about nominations? Check out this guide!

About HackerNoon’s Startups of The Year

Startups of The Year 2024 is HackerNoon’s flagship community-driven event celebrating startups, technology, and the spirit of innovation. Currently in its third iteration, the prestigious Internet award recognizes and celebrates tech startups of all shapes and sizes. This year, over 150,000 entities across 4200+ cities, 6 continents, and 100+ industries will participate in a bid to be crowned the best startup of the year! Millions of votes have been cast over the past few years, and many stories have been written about these daring and rising startups.

The winners will get a free interview on HackerNoon and an Evergreen Tech Company News page.

Visit ourFAQ page to learn more.

Download our design assets here.

Check out the Startups of the Year Merch Shop here.

HackerNoon’s Startups of The Year is a branding opportunity unlike any other. Whether your goal is brand awareness or lead generation, HackerNoon has curated startup-friendly packages to solve your marketing challenges.

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Notion: Notion is trusted and loved by thousands of startups as their connected workspace—from building product roadmaps to tracking fundraising. Try Notion with unlimited AI, FREE for up to 6 months, to build and scale your company with one powerful tool. Get your offer now!

Hubspot: If you’re looking for a smart CRM platform that meets the needs of small businesses, look no further than HubSpot. Seamlessly connect your data, teams and customers in one easy-to-use scalable platform that grows with your business.

Bright Data: Startups that leverage public web data can make faster, data-driven decisions, giving them a competitive edge. With Bright Data’s scalable web data collection, businesses can grow from a small operation to an enterprise by harnessing insights at every stage.

Algolia: Algolia NeuralSearch is the world's only AI end-to-end Search and Discovery Platform combining powerful keyword and natural language processing in a single API.